Lockie Ferguson joins elite Kiwi club with T20I hat-trick
New Zealand's fast bowler Lockie Ferguson etched his name in cricket history by taking a sensational hat-trick against Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Dambulla. He became the fifth New Zealander to achieve the feat in T20Is. The milestone came in an exciting match where New Zealand were looking to defend a paltry total of 109. The Kiwis won the contest by five runs in the end. SL folded for 103.
Ferguson's hat-trick dismissals
Ferguson's hat-trick started with the wicket of Kusal Perera on the last ball of the sixth over. He returned to bowl in the eighth over, where he got Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka off his first two balls. Mendis was dismissed through LBW while Asalanka was caught off Ferguson's first ball. This was the turning point of the match for New Zealand.
Ferguson joins elite Kiwi bowlers with T20I hat-tricks
Ferguson now joins the likes of Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell, and Matt Henry as one of the few New Zealand bowlers to have taken a T20I hat-trick. It is the sixth time a New Zealand bowler has accomplished the feat in T20Is (Southee has done it twice). With this, New Zealand have leveled Sri Lanka for the most hat-tricks taken by a country in the shortest format of cricket.
Ferguson races to 194 T20 scalps
In 43 matches, Ferguson now owns 64 scalps for New Zealand in T20Is at just 17. In three matches versus Sri Lanka, he owns 7 scalps at an average of 9. Meanwhile, Ferguson owns 194 T20 scalps from 162 matches at 22.61.
